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LG Spirit – Android Lollipop is the only saving grace

Introduction:

The LG Spirit, Which was launched alongside phone like LG Magna, Leon and Joy, all the phones being mid-range phones, at the MCW 2015 conference that took place in Barcelona. Out of these four phones, the only one that managed to grab the attention was Magna which was a hit in the market. Spirit failed to impress the audience with its mediocre features. The over the top price tag for the given features was also a huge put-off. LG spirit has some good features and functions much like a basic android device. The USP of the phone is the curved back design and the matte finish, two features that are seen only in the high-end phones of LG. It supports 4G connectivity which is another selling point of this phone. Besides this, the phone does not offer much at all.

There are two versions available in the market The H440N with 4G and LTE support and the other version H420 which supports only 3G networks. The latter lacks quite a few features and has a MediaTek chipset.

LG Sprit Review:

LG Spirit

Design:

The gently curved back which is seen in Flex2 got a lot of attention and LG thought of selling this away with just that one feature. It is creative and preferred by many, since it was available only in the flagship devices many could not afford it. This phone is for all those people who love the curved back design but are looking for a mid-range basic Smartphone.

LG Spirit Design

The phone has a plastic body and it imitates a metal finish. The volume buttons and the power button are placed on the rear, right below the camera. The textured volume buttons are separated by a power button of a different texture placed in between them. This is quite uncomfortable for many. You can wake the phone by tapping twice but the power button has to be utilized in order to put it to sleep.

The phone bezel space on the sides is reduced and it looks quite appealing.

Display Specifications:

The 4.7 inches LCD screen has an average resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels which approximately houses 312 ppi. The display is vibrant but not sharp. A layer of Corning Gorilla Glass protects the phone from scratches and falls. It is neither waterproof nor dustproof. The 720p display is obviously not going to win it buyers in the market when phones of the same price range offer Full HD display.

Dual-SIM facility:

The phone has Dual-SIM facility where both the SIMs are active.

Operating system:

Android Lollipop is the only saving grace of the phone. The phone runs on Android v5 (Lollipop) which is a great feature of this phone. This gives the user a lot of options and apps to choose from. The customizations are also plenty. A few things one can enjoy are new lock setups that include KnockCode feature which requires you to tap the screen in a set pattern to unlock. The smart remote control feature can also be downloaded on the phone which makes it more than just a phone.

There are not many modifications made to the software so it feels like a typical Android device. The phone also lacks LG’s internally designed, Optimus UI which is present in a lot of other models.UI which is present in a lot of other models.UI which is present in a lot of other models.

Internal memory:

The phone has an internal storage of 8GB out of which only 4GB is available for use. This is very less storage space; even 8GB is not enough. Lollipop takes up a lot of storage space. The storage can be expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card. The rumors of LG Spirit not having a microSD slot are all false; its cousin Magna is the one without expandable storage. In this aspect, LG Spirit has a definite advantage over Magna.

Battery Backup Life:

The phone has 2100mAh Li-ion battery which is smaller than Magna’s 2540mAh battery. The phone’s battery supports the features well. Since there are not many hi-tech features that drain out the juice, the battery life is pretty standard.

Processor:

LG Spirit CPU

The phone runs on a 1.2 GHz Quad-core processor which suits the whole package and supports the phone in every angle. High-end games will take time to load but otherwise there is a smooth flow when shifting from one app to another. There is no lag.

The 3G version of the phone runs on 1.3GHz MediaTek processor. Both the processors are equally good.

Camera Features:

LG Spirit Camera

The phone has an 8MP primary camera which does not produce a very good picture. The image clarity is low and the camera is of no use in bad lighting. The front camera is only 1MP while the front camera in Magna is 4MP. Why the difference and why the low-quality camera are some unanswered questions. The camera features a flash for primary camera and the screen as be used as a flash for the selfies. It is an innovative move by LG but it does not help the 1MP front camera in any possible way.

The second version of the phone with 3G support has only a 5 MP primary camera.

Connectivity:

The phone is available in two versions LG Spirit 4G LTE H440N with LTE support and the model number two is LG Spirit H420 with 3G support. All the other features are same except for the connectivity options.

The phone also has OTG feature. It does not have an infrared port but neither do most of the other phones in the same price range. The phone also lacks the compass feature.

Conclusion:

Both the versions of the LG spirit lack some main features and even some of the given features do not live up to the expectations. Android Lollipop is one good feature of the phone that delivers good performance. There’s nothing to complain about the processor that supports the basic features. But the camera is one that needs attention. The price that it carries is also a heavy one that does not go reasonably with the above mentioned features. Maybe LG hoped to win the hearts with the famous curved back design without offering any decent features. LG has never been so wrong.